Chicago Officials Plan To Announce Updates To Travel Order Amid COVID-19
By Kelly Fisher
November 6, 2020
Heading into the holiday season — and as Chicago faces its “second surge” of COVID-19 — officials are prepping an announcement noting changes to the city’s travel order.
Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said during a press briefing Thursday (November 5) that changes could be announced next week.
The travel order requires people venturing to Chicago — or returning to Chicago — from “states experiencing a surge in new COVID-19 cases” to quarantine for 14 days, NBC5 reported.
The order, implemented in July and re-evaluated weekly, currently includes:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Delaware
- Florida
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Puerto Rico
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
"We are very much aware of what the percent positivity is and other expansion of cases in states, certainly in our surrounding area, and across the country," Arwady said. "So we are looking at what makes the most sense and we'll make an announcement about that soon."
City and state officials have implemented safety measures in response to the rising hospitalizations and positivity rates, including setting curfews and banning indoor dining.
"We look at our neighbors, like Wisconsin is really, really struggling. Indiana is struggling- it was struggling the whole time because apparently their governor doesn't believe that COVID-19 exists," Mayor Lori Lightfoot said. "So the reality is, is that this is... we're seeing cases really explode in almost every region of the country. And unfortunately the Midwest is leading that. And so as Dr. Arwady already said, we look at these statistics and what we're seeing both in Chicago, the surrounding area in the Midwest, and across the country, every, single day — and as she said, we will be announcing some adjustments."
Photo: Getty Images